Thompson gets the nod in Mansfield 3rd Ward

Mansfield's Third Ward council seat will go to a political newcomer when voters head to the polls Nov. 5.

Democrat Jon VanHarlingen, 58, of 918 Linden Circle West, is a retired city worker with 34 years of experience in a variety of jobs.

Republican Jami Thompson, 39, of Arlington Avenue, is co-director of Downtown Mansfield Inc. and a non-voting member of the Mansfield-Richland County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The candidates give voters an excellent, albeit contrasting, choice.

We lean toward Thompson based on her decade-plus experience working within the city's political structure.

Among her ideas is to install a Third Ward Facebook page to swap ideas and concerns within the district.

She wields a master's degree in public administration and knows the process of how to efficiently attack problems within the Mansfield political infrastructure.

She also has a keen understanding of the business goals, needs and realistic targets within Mansfield.

Thompson plans to continue working at Downtown Mansfield, and sees the city council seat as a natural extension to her current work.

"I have a great relationship with the political, public and private sector," she said.

Van Harlingen has expressed concern that the influences of Downtown Mansfield, which receives funding from the city, could impact Thompson's judgment on Third Ward issues.

While that's a legitimate question, Thompson notes that Downtown Mansfield is not an organization beholden to the city.

"Our property owners and business leaders are our stakeholders," she said.

VanHarlingen points out that as a retiree, he can devote full-time attention to a council seat. He has long been active in the local Democratic party, while Thompson is not as closely linked to the Mansfield GOP.

He believes his experience in the workplace - across several sectors of the city - offers an understanding of the process and the departments that make Mansfield work. As an employee, the city asked him to return to work to get the wastewater treatment plant back up to snuff, and he was part of the computerization of that department. Those factors speak for his work ethic and productivity.

Both candidates agree jobs, safety concerns, basic services (including street lights and park maintenance) are the issues of the day in the community.

Each expressed a passion and concern for the city, and both would be good members of city council.

We believe Thompson's business savvy gives her the slightest of edges in this particular race.

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Thompson gets the nod in Mansfield 3rd Ward

Mansfield's Third Ward council seat will go to a political newcomer when voters head to the polls Nov. 5.